Thread guide



Patented May 25, 1937 [UNITED sm'ies PATENT OFFICE THREAD GUlDE Michael J. MeHale, Scranton, Pa.

Application July 2,

3 Claims.

' My-invention relates to thread guides for Winding machines and more particularly to means for attaching a guide wire to a tension arm.

In Patents 1,965,044 and 2,023,179 dated July 3, 1-934 and December 3, 1935 respectively, I have disclosed thread guide fastening means in combination with a faller arm structure, wherein the guide may be easily and quickly replaced Without theme of any special tool. The present invention is an improvement over the arrangements disclosed in the above referred to patents and relates to an improved thread guide structure of general application with winding machines and is particularly adapted for use with various types of thread guide holders.

An object of my invention is to provide a thread guide fastening means wherein the guide may be easily and quickly replaced without the use of any tool or special instrument.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved thread guide fastening means whereby the guide is held in tight engagement with the support.

Still another object of my invention is to provide .an improved thread guide arrangement vadapted to be used with various types of winding machines and attachments used therewith.

' Yet another obJect of my invention is to provide an improved thread guide arrangement adapted to be used in combination with conventional forms of tension wire supports as well as with supports of the character disclosed in my prior patents.

With .these and other objects in view, which may be incident to my improvements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations to be hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements, comprising my invention, may be varied in construction, proportions and arrangement, without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown in the accompanying drawing means for carrying the same into practical eifect, without limiting the improvements in their useful applications to the particular constructions, which for the purpose of explanation, have .been made the subject of illustration.

In the drawing:

Figure -1 is 'a diagrammatic View showing the improved thread guide structure, as applied to a winding machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the upper 1936, Serial No. 88,658

portion of one form of guide holder showing a thread guide mounted thereon.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a thread guide support of the type used with a horizontally positioned guide wire.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a modified form of support for a thread guide wire.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view, showing a guide eye and improved holder attached to a faller wire.

Fig. 6 is a plan View, partly in section, of a thread guide showing details of construct-ion.

Fig. '7 is a side elevational view of a faller arm and wire, with guide eye partly in section, attached thereto.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the upper portion of a holder having a modified form of guide wire attached thereto; and

Fig. 9 is a prospective view of the guide wire shown in Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly to Figure 1, I have shown a diagrammatic view of my improved thread guide and fastening means, used in connection with a faller arm and a horizontal support attached to the frame of a winding machine.

The faller arm, designated by numeral I is of conventional form, pivoted at 2 and having a tension arm 3 attached thereto by means of a set screw 4. At the upper end of the arm .3 is attached a thread guide through which thread 6 passes from bobbin 1 before it is wound upon a bobbin 8. Below the faller arm and attached to the side frame of the winding machine is a horizontal tension arm 9 adapted to support a thread guide I0. Ihe arm 9 is supported by member H having a sleeve l2 or other attaching means whereby the length of the arm may be adjusted and held in position by set screw 4'.

Referring to Fig. 2, the thread guide fastening tion is provided with a recess l9 extending therethrough perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the guide, a recess 20 extending inwardly from the end of the base perpendicular to recess I9 and vertical groove 2| across the end of the base, said groove being adapted to receive a portion of one of the parallel sections when the guide eye is mounted in the operative position upon the tension arm.

To attach the guide to the tension arm, it is held in position above the looped portion and fastened thereto by introducing free end [6 of section l5 of the looped portion into the opening to recess [9 at the bottom of the guide, and section M of the looped portion into groove 2|. Thereafter the guide is pushed downwardly on sections l4 and I5, until it assumes the position shown in Fig. 2, with the top portion of the uide located a short distance below the free end iii of section I5. It will be noted that with my improved fastening means, that the thread guide eye is held in the operative position and movement thereof prevented by means of the arrangement of the groove and recess formed in the base of the guide. Longitudinal movement of the guide on its support, is prevented by means of the recess l9 which holds the guide securely to section 15 and lateral or horizontal movement is prevented by means of groove 2| in which section It is seated. In event that the thread guide becomes worn or broken, it can be easily replaced without the necessity of using any special tool or requiring removal of the tension arm 3 from the faller arm.

Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown an arrangement for using a thread guide in combination with a horizontally extending tension arm, of the type indicated by numeral 9 in Figure 1, wherein a gathering eye it is used. The free end of the horizontal arm 9 is formed with a looped portion comprising parallel sections 13, Hi and I5, section l5 terminating in a free end IS. The looped portion is formed in substantially the same manner as the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, however, it will be noted that the parallel sections lie in a plane perpendicular to the tension arm. Guide eye 5 is of the same construction as that used with the faller arm type of support, and is. provided with a recess perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the guide eye and a groove across the base section thereof, adapted to form a seat for a portion of parallel section It.

In Figure 5, there is shown an arrangement whereby the guide eye support may be attached to a conventional tension arm. In this arrangement, the looped portion is formed from a separate piece of wire designated generally by numeral 22, which may be soldered, welded or otherwise attached to tension arm 3 as indicated by numeral 23. By forming the guide holders as separate units, a conventional form of tension wire may be used as a support for my improved guide holding means, and in event that the winding machines are equipped with standard forms of tension arm, the guide eye supports may be easily attached thereto without materially changing or modifying the tension arm structure.

Referring to Fig. 4 there is shown a modified form of guide eye support comprising a single looped portion. In this arrangement, the free end of the tension arm is provided with a single loop comprising parallel sections 24 and 25 with a horizontal portion 26 therebetween. In this embodiment of the invention, the guide eye is adapted to be attached to the support by in- .troducing it below the looped portion and forcing it upwardly, with the free end of section 25 in recess l9 and a portion of section 25 seated in the groove 2| formed across the base of the guide.

Referring to Fig. 7, the improved thread guide structure is shown in combination with a support arm of a type similar to that disclosed in my prior Patent 1,965,044 dated July 3, 1934. In this connection it will be noted that one portion of the tension arm 21, is adapted to seat in recess l9 and the other portion 28, having free end 29 is seated in the recess 20. It will be further noted that a portion of section 28 seats in the groove 2| formed across the base of the guide. By means of this arrangement, the thread guide structures of the present invention are adaptable for use with winding machines equipped with tension arms wherein it is required that a recess guide to its support and prevent lateral movement thereof during the winding operation.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, there is shown a modified form of thread guide designated generally by numeral 30. In the modification, the thread guide comprises a body portion having base mem-.

bers 3i and 32, each base being provided with the groove 33, the guide also being provided with a conventional thread receiving opening 34 intermediate of the base members. Thread guide 30 is adapted to be attached to the support arm by inserting the free end [6 through the thread receiving portion formed in the body of the guide and introducing a portion of section [4 into one of the grooves 32 or 33. By means of this arrangement, in event that one side of the thread guide becomes worn or broken, the guide may be reversed and the other portion of the surface used.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth, by way of illustrations as it is apparent that many changes and variations may be, made therein, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention, or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A thread guide for winding machines, comprising a base portion and a thread receiving portion, the base portion having a recess extending therethrough perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the guide and a groove, in the end of the base portion, parallel to said recess.

2. A thread guide for winding machines, comprising a base portion and a thread receiving portion, the base portion having a recess near its end adjacent the thread receiving opening,.extending through the base perpendicular to the longitudinal axis to the guide and a groove in the opposite end of the base parallel to said recess.

3. A reversible thread guide for winding machines, comprising two base portions and a thread receiving portion, the thread receiving opening being intermediate of the ends of the base portions, each of said base portions being formed with a groove at the free end thereof perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the guide.

MICHAEL J. MCHALE. 

